For obvious reasons, Ravens coach John Harbaugh is a huge Joe Flacco fan.

That was exemplified again Friday, when Harbaugh responded to a question about the standard Flacco set during the postseason last year. Flacco threw 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in the playoffs, leading the Ravens to the Super Bowl.

“Joe accomplished something that was really almost unmatched in postseason history,” Harbaugh said. “Joe is going to become one of the premier quarterbacks in the history of the National Football League. I’ve said that many, many times. In the end that statement will prove to be correct, and all the naysayers out there – they will be wrong as usual. And I’ll be looking forward to them when they say. ‘I was wrong.’ But that will probably be a first.”

Flacco is a long way from solidifying a place in Canton. The bigger immediate question is whether Flacco can lead the Ravens back to the postseason. That is part of why Sunday’s game is important to the Ravens. They have never lost two games in September with Flacco as quarterback and Harbaugh as coach. They don’t want to start now.